Page 90 of Whiskey Shivers

“Yeah, I got all that,” he said.

“I need you to get out there in the woods and figure them out. Perfect them, put a spin on them. I don’t care but I need you to focus on that and on you – can you do that for me?” I asked.

His brow furrowed as he looked me over, and he asked, “Now why you want me to go an’ do a thing like that, Fable?”

“Because it’s your dream,” I said. “It’s alwaysbeenyour dream, and I want to make your dream into something real like you did for me.”

“I did?” he asked, cocking his head curiously.

“Look around us,” I murmured. “All I’ve ever wanted was to be loved and to have a space that was my own. Something small, but mine, and look at you… look at what you’ve done for me. I want nothing more to give that back. To be your partner and not just a – a – a project.”

“Hey!” His voice was whispered, his tone still the harshest he’d ever taken with me. “Don’t youdaretalk about yourself like that. You arenota project. Never have been. You’re my joy, baby. You make me the happiest I’ve ever fuckin’ been. No more talk like that. D’you hear me?”

I nodded, but I persisted, “And I want to do the same if not more than you’ve done for me becausesame!”

“Shit, honey. Illegal moon shining ain’t easy nor is it safe. Why, you want me to—”

“Iknow,” I said. “I know, and I don’t know if you can sell it or whatever and I’m not evenaskingyou to. I’m just asking you to get out there and get the distilling right.”

“Why, though?”

“You can’t get mad at me and you can’t say no,” I said, sticking my finger in his face. He bit it gently between his teeth and sucked it into his mouth and I felt my pussy clench and closed my eyes.

“Stop trying to distract me with sex.” I pouted and he grinned around my finger in his mouth and teased it with his tongue.

“Hex! I’m serious!” I cried but I couldn’t help but giggle.

He relinquished his hold on my finger and said, “Start makin’ sense, then.”

“I want you to perfect your dad’s recipes so that when I get my money from this settlement, we can secure our future – legally, which will be a pain in the ass. I want you to take what you need and start a distillery. The way you talk about your dad’s hooch and this being a city virtually pickled in alcohol I think it could be a thing and I want to explore that with you.”

“You’re serious,” he said after a moment or two of stunned silence.

“I’m dead fucking serious!” I declared. “I don’t want to try and be dependent on a teacher’s salary forever but I also know you… you and the club want to move into more legitimate ventures,” I said and he stared up at me.

“You’re not supposed to know shit about that, baby,” he said and his tone held a warning.

“You wouldn’t be with me if you thought I was stupid,” I said tiredly. “So don’t insult my intelligence now.” He nearly choked on his laugh and I gave him a wry smile. “Alina and I know a lot more than you think and we’re alright with it, but we also want to help you all realize your goals and call me crazy – but this has a real chance at working for not only you, but all of you and all for the low low price of keeping me and making me a silent partner or whatever the hell you call it. I fund you guys do all the heavy lifting and yeah… You told me once it’s not me against the world anymore it’sus,well dammit, it’s notyouagainst the world anymore either. It’sus. So let it beus.”

He stared at me hard and I saw it when hardness left his brown eyes and his posture which was stiff beneath me eased some. He stopped fighting me and switched into his thinking mode, and took in a deep breath and let it out swift in a rough sigh.

“This all depends on a lot of things,” he said.

“I know, how much my settlement or judgment is or whatever and yes, I also know that isn’t going to happen any time soon. It could be months; it could be years – but that’s time that I don’t think should be wasted. Which is why I’m asking you to magic make your damn spirits so when the money arrives, we are already ahead.”

“You been thinking about this a while, haven’t you?” he asked.

“How could you tell?” I asked sardonically.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” he growled and dragged my mouth down to his.

I kissed him back and let my tongue slip between his lips and teeth to stroke against his. I moaned slightly into his mouth, and he smoothed his hands down my body in a way that made my temperatureinstantlyspike.

“Was dinner ready?” I asked suddenly, aware that was supposed to be a thing in the near future.

“It’ll keep,” he growled. “I want my dessert first.”

Fuck.

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